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Whilst we were in Danang, ‘The Mother’ suggested that we go do a food tour. Believe it or not, I have never ever been to a food tour – ever so this was my first time and it was a brilliant idea and a fantastic way to try the street food of Danang.

We did a our research and we found a few, but the one that suited us and could fit us in was Summer, who is a former foreign affairs professional turned food blogger, she is also a hostel owner and her website is DanangCuisine.com which has been featured in media all over Asia. Summer’s sister, Helen also does the food tour with her, as at the time we were in Danang, Summer was pregnant, so we met the lovely sister Helen.

The tour is based on Summer / Helen’s top 10 favourite dishes, and the tour ‘will take us to shops scattered around the central district, some within walking distance, others a short cab ride away’. Helen picked us up, and we also picked up 4 other guests – it was great to meet new people and learn about their experiences and hear about their adventures.

Tour details: Capacity of 2 – 6 person. There’s one for lunch time (11 – 1.30pm) or evening (6 – 830pm) and price: US45 pax or (980,000VND) inclusive of all food and drinks, transport and photos were taken during the toor.

We had one each, the xoi ga – chicken steamed sticky rice was a little too heavy for my liking (like any other sticky rice) however, it was tasty, full of flavour and the chicken was tender. Dragon absolutely loved this dish! I didn’t realise how much she loved sticky rice!

The bun ga – vietnamese grilled chicken with vermicelli noodles was DELICIOUS! silky smooth vermicelli noodles, the soup was clear (with added chili oil) and again the chicken was tender.

I was so glad that we got to try Mi Quang Ba Vi – it is a Vietnamese noodle dish that originated from Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam. It is usually served in various occasions such as family party and the dish is made with rice noodles tinted yellow with the use of turmeric and served with shrimp, pork, chicken or even fish and beef. The broth is made by simmering the meat in water or bone broth for a more intense flavour, seasoned with fish sauce, black pepper, shallot and garlic. It is also served with toasted Vietnamese sesame rice crackers, fried shallots and various herbs.

The condiments – spring rolls, Vietnamese rice cakes (i had originally thought it was pork skin!) and some vegetables

Mi Quang – superb! It was slightly spicy for Dragon but I know she would have loved the rice noodles! It was cooked to perfection, and one couldn’t help but ‘slurp’ the noodles! The pork was ok but it was the condiments that goes with it that makes this one of my favourite dishes in Danang.

I was getting full by now, but there were MORE! WE hop out of our van and walked down an alley way and at the end of the corridor there is a bight sign marking our destination, Ba Duong – one of the best places for banh xeo, a crackling fried rice flour crepe filled with bean, sprouts, shrimp, spring onions and mung beans.

The restaurant only serves banh xeo, which is accompanied by pork skewers, rice paper, and a pork liver and peanut sauce. Helen said that the ‘secret to this place is how crispy the pancake is’.

As I couldn’t eat prawns, they made a special one for me without prawns

The way you eat it is, take a rice paper roll, then the yellow rice crepe, and pork skewers, dip it in the sauce. My goodness – the flavours, the crunchiness, the pork – burst of flavours in my mouth. this was excellent and the sauce – i wanted to buy some and bring it home!

‘The Mother’ wanted to try corn juice – I have to say, I am definitely not a fan. It was sweet, milky, corn-y (is that even a word?). ‘The Mother’ thought it was nice but it was definitely not for me!

We went to Ba Lan (which ‘The Mother’ and I went previously on our own) to order some Vietnamese pork roll, but this time, it wasn’t your typical pork roll.

First, pork floss, with the vegetables and pate – this was interesting. I do like pork floss but it was a little weird I thought. Definitely not my favourite type of banh mi.

Second was just the pate with some chili and now this was delicious! They were tiny and went down so easy! The bread, again that bread was just incredible! Crunchy on the outside and perfect on the inside.

Last but not least, desert. Helen mentioned that there aren’t many deserts of cakes in Vietnam. They usually just have fruits and we went to Sinh To Che Thai. My glass was filled with jack fruit, avocado, banana, bit of condensed milk and crushed ice! Perfect for the warm weather in Vietnam!

We met some wonderful friends during the tour, got some pretty good recommendations for where to eat in Ho Chi Min City, so will keep that in mind for next time!

The tour was definitely worth it if you only have a short time in Danang and wanted to try all the local cuisine. Helen, our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. We had a great time, and would definitely do another food tour next time. All the food was delicious, and I am missing Vietnamese food and can’t wait to go back to Vietnam!

Next – our delicious eats in Hoi An and where I had the BEST, seriously THE BEST BANH MI EVER!